Summer Reading Assignment: Composition and Literature 9 and Honors Composition and Literature 9 And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie DIRECTIONS Please purchase a copy of the novel with the following ISBN: 9780062073488. As you read, make notes in the margins of anything that is interesting or confusing. Highlight or circle words with which you are unfamiliar. Complete the following assignment and bring it with your copy of the novel to class on the first day of school. Please answer in complete sentences, writing legibly with correct spelling and observing the conventions of Standard English. Ch. 1-3 1. Who is U.N. Owen? List three things that the reader learns about this person in the novel s opening pages. 2. Where and when does the story take place? Describe the primary setting of the island in as much detail as possible. 3. List the names and professions of the ten guests who have been invited to the island. 4. Vera Claythorne finds a poem on the mantel. Give two details to describe the poem.
5. In chapter 3, the ten guests are gathered for their after-dinner coffee when suddenly, an inhuman, penetrating voice begins to speak to them, one which has been prerecorded on a phonograph record. What exactly does the voice accuse each guest of doing? List each guest s name and the accusation he faces. Ch. 4-5 6. How do Wargrave s comments and Armstrong s recollection of the Seton trial somehow conflict? 7. What does Lombard have to say about the actions of which he is accused? What does this reveal about his character? 8. What is Marston s revelation regarding his accusation? 9. Who dies at the end of chapter 4? How? 10. Irony is defined as a discrepancy between what is expected and reality. Review the victim s last words, and explain the irony of this particular murder, given these final comments.
11. In part 5 of chapter 5, Christie writes of General MacArthur: He knew, suddenly, that he didn t want to leave this island. Why do you think he knows this? Provide as many reasons as you can. What inner conflicts do you perceive? What is his state of mind? Ch. 6-7 12. How does Emily Brent respond to the news of Mrs. Rogers death? What does this reveal about her character? 13. How does Mrs. Rogers die in chapter 6? 14. Why does Mr. Blore immediately suspect that Mrs. Rogers was killed by her husband, the butler? Explain Mr. Blore s accusation, pointing out its strengths and shortcomings. 15. What information does Emily Brent share with Vera Claythorne about Beatrice Taylor s death? 16. In part 3 of chapter 7, Mr. Lombard and Dr. Armstrong discuss the two deaths that have occurred thus far. Why do they conclude that both deaths must have been acts of murder? 17. Why do Mr. Lombard and Dr. Armstrong then agree to enlist Mr. Blore in their search mission? What and where do they plan to search?
Ch. 8-9 18. Reread the last sentence of chapter 8. Identify the possible as well as the inevitable implications of this last sentence---for the plot of this novel and the fate of its characters. 19. What sort of threshold has been crossed, and how is the story different from this point on? 20. After the murdered body of General Macarthur is discovered, the seven remaining characters to participate in an informal yet serious court session to establish the facts of what has transpired since their arrival at Indian Island. Who is the leader of this parlor-room inquest and does the appointment seem fitting? Why or why not? 21. How do the other six characters react to this leader s questions and conclusions? How do they react to each other s accusations? 22. In your view, who seems most likely to be guilty at this point in the narrative? Who seems most likely to be innocent? Ch. 10-11 23. In part 1 of Chapter 10, Vera Claythorne and Lombard discuss their ideas concerning the identity of the murderer. Who do they conclude is the most likely candidate? Why? 24. While the group makes every attempt to live with a normal routine, what does Emily Brent s diary entry reveal about how the stress may be affecting them?
25. Who has gone missing at the start of Chapter 11, and how has this character met his demise? 26. What connection does Vera Claythorne make regarding the murders and the poem? 27. What does Blore confess to Lombard about the crime he is accused of committing? Ch. 12-13 28. What items are discovered missing? 29. What is the purpose of the search undertaken? 30. What does Vera Claythorne discover while in the bathtub? 31. Describe the final death in Chapter 13. Ch. 14-15 32. A red herring is a false clue. What has been the red herring in the novel? How has it led the characters and the reader astray? 33. How is the poem involved in the death of Blore?
34. Who is found on the rocks on the shore? Ch. 16-Epilogue-Scotland Yard manuscript 35. How accurate was your hypothesis on the identity of the murderer? Who had you considered was responsible for the murders and what was the motive you had in mind for their actions? 36. How do the facts of the case come to light? 37. Which character is the mastermind behind the murders, and how did s/he carry out the plot? 38. What are the motives of this character? 39. List all ten characters and their individual motives for the crimes they are accused of committing.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Write your responses to the following questions in preparation for class discussion on these topics. 40. Discuss the role of justice in the novel. Do the characters get what they deserve? Why or why not? 41. What is Christie s commentary on the effects of guilt? How do each of the characters respond to the effects of guilt in their own lives? 42. Consider how group psychology is portrayed in the novel. Which scenes show how events or ideas are altered or influenced by how the characters interact with one another? 43. Compare how the initial tone of the poem contrasts with the way the poem is perceived by the characters as the novel progresses.
VOCABULARY Please be familiar with the following words in preparation for the unit test. You may access these words and definitions in a set on the class Quizlet page by entering this url and requesting to join the class: https://quizlet.com/_2ftcep Chapter 1 1. arrogant 2. deportment Chapter 2 3. disparagingly 4. surreptitious 5. luscious Chapter 3 6. caustic 7. naïve 8. adroit 9. indictment 10. forage 11. impromptu 12. verisimilitude Chapter 4 13. credentials 14. entice 15. exonerate 16. epistolary 17. iniquitous 18. reconnaissance 19. acquittal Chapter 5 20. capricious 21. hypocrite 22. shun 23. decorous Chapter 6 24. taboo 25. consent 26. oblique Chapter 7 27. acquiesce 28. condone 29. waver 30. feasible Chapter 8 31. proxy 32. absurd 33. aversion 34. impudent Chapter 9 35. perjury 36. eloquent 37. noncommittal 38. discourse 39. recrimination Chapter 10 40. tenacious Chapter 11 41. affably Chapter 12 42. conclave 43. recoil Chapter 13 44. wary 45. tacit Chapter 14 46. inquest 47. sagacity Chapter 15 48. obstinate Epilogue 49. scrupulous 50. consequent